[The second he sees her, darting across from the house, Tony takes a knee. And while Steve tells her to take the pastries inside, he decides to aid in that because he does put his arms around her and lift her up, propping her on his hip. One of these days she'll be too old for this, and maybe he will, too. She feels heavier than he remembers but he attributes that to everything else going on. He gives none of it away, though, happy to just hold on to her and listen to her go on and on and on about her day, maybe a little too excited about so many of her favorite people around.
Rhodey's just got that look about him, Tony notes, as they enter the house. And they share a gaze that probably speaks a thousand words in a manner of seconds. Tony merely observes the ice between Steve and Strange, always partly amused and part warmed because all of that is on his behalf. He's still not sure how he feels, really. Strange made a call to save the universe. Would Tony have done differently? Clearly not, because he snapped his fingers. He's lucky Steve bested the both of them. That's all he knows.
And while he wanted to have a moment with Alice, to speak plainly and as candidly with her as possible for someone her age, it's hard to do in a home full of people who already mostly know what's going on. FRIDAY will have uploaded the files from his recent medical visit and at this point there's almost nothing he can hold back about his current state if he'd actually like some help. So he sets Alice down and tells her to accompany Steve in helping make up the guest rooms, dubbing her the official project manager here which she of course is tickled with and takes with pride.
Once she's out of the room he waits longer still until he's really sure she's out of earshot and then he unloads on their guests. Explains in perhaps a bizarrely casual and snarky way that his time is running thin and they have a small window. He ignores the way Bruce immediately goes solemn, the way Rhodey's eyes dip, and the way Shuri's sharpen by contrast. He has plans, he tells them those too. Extremis is the best bet. He needs a whole rescaling physically, basically. And he has some... wishlist items that are less important in the face of not dying. So they'll work on that first.
After he's done babbling on about rallying the troops to save his own life, he excuses himself from the lab to let that marinate, FRIDAY in open access mode so they can start working. He then goes upstairs, up to Steve and his daughter where they'll have the lesser version of that conversation. And already he feels so tired. Not to mention raw. And exposed. But it all evaporates, when he gets to the guest room they're in and leans in the doorway, feeling that usual warmth, watching the two of them, smile to match. He'd do anything for these two. And is damn well about to try.]
no subject
Rhodey's just got that look about him, Tony notes, as they enter the house. And they share a gaze that probably speaks a thousand words in a manner of seconds. Tony merely observes the ice between Steve and Strange, always partly amused and part warmed because all of that is on his behalf. He's still not sure how he feels, really. Strange made a call to save the universe. Would Tony have done differently? Clearly not, because he snapped his fingers. He's lucky Steve bested the both of them. That's all he knows.
And while he wanted to have a moment with Alice, to speak plainly and as candidly with her as possible for someone her age, it's hard to do in a home full of people who already mostly know what's going on. FRIDAY will have uploaded the files from his recent medical visit and at this point there's almost nothing he can hold back about his current state if he'd actually like some help. So he sets Alice down and tells her to accompany Steve in helping make up the guest rooms, dubbing her the official project manager here which she of course is tickled with and takes with pride.
Once she's out of the room he waits longer still until he's really sure she's out of earshot and then he unloads on their guests. Explains in perhaps a bizarrely casual and snarky way that his time is running thin and they have a small window. He ignores the way Bruce immediately goes solemn, the way Rhodey's eyes dip, and the way Shuri's sharpen by contrast. He has plans, he tells them those too. Extremis is the best bet. He needs a whole rescaling physically, basically. And he has some... wishlist items that are less important in the face of not dying. So they'll work on that first.
After he's done babbling on about rallying the troops to save his own life, he excuses himself from the lab to let that marinate, FRIDAY in open access mode so they can start working. He then goes upstairs, up to Steve and his daughter where they'll have the lesser version of that conversation. And already he feels so tired. Not to mention raw. And exposed. But it all evaporates, when he gets to the guest room they're in and leans in the doorway, feeling that usual warmth, watching the two of them, smile to match. He'd do anything for these two. And is damn well about to try.]